Monday, February 11, 2013

Writer Brian Azzarello’s brings Wonder Woman back to her
roots, and not as a bondage enthusiast. Plus, Olympus gets a brand new look!

When DC Comics pressed the reset button on their characters
in 2011 with the New 52 initiative, many feared for the fate of iconic Wonder
Woman. How was she going to be reintroduced into the pantheon of DC
superheroes? Legend has it that writer Brian Azzarello, upon hearing the plans
that DC had for the Amazon Princess, was so appalled at what he heard that he
pitched a story on the spot for the character he never had any intention of
writing.The results have been…
controversial.

Which is a great sign. Some of the criticism targeted at the
series claims that Wonder Woman is almost a supporting character in her own
book, but the change of narrative focus has been very beneficial for the
Amazon. She still kicks ass whenever it is required of her, but she’s also more
vulnerable, put in situations where she needs to look for answers about herself
that she never had to question before. It’s one of the most human depictions of
Wonder Woman we’ve seen in a while.

Yes, there is violence in the book (Wonder Woman even yields
guns for a couple of issues - "love guns," but still,) but there’s also
adventure, mythology and heart in the stories. Artist Cliff Chiang’s Wonder
Woman is not depicted as a giant sexual Barbie, but as a powerful, regal and
yes, sexy warrior who looks good in a bodice and tiara as well as in a white T
and leather (fake, certainly).

Azzarello and Chiang are having fun updating Olympus,
recreating visual representations for gods and goddesses, some succeeding more
than others. Hera is one of the few who fittingly remains rather Greek in her
depiction. The Olympus’ celestial family is at the center of this new series,
including the major retcon of making Wonder Woman a bastard child of Zeus – one
of the many – a tweak that sounds obvious, yet had never been done. Azzarello
also explains what happens to the male babies of Amazons, shows Wonder Woman at
a rock concert and makes Hell fall in love. The whole thing gets a little loopy
in the second volume, but the promise of New GodOrion joining the cast offers
exciting possibilities for the series’ second year.